www.donotcall.gov

[DanS]

Here's the story...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&e=1&u=/ap/20030627/ap_on_go_ot/do_not_call

Unfortunately, the site is so popular, that it's been pummeled to death.

[SlowwHand]

It's bull****.
Texas instituted a similar program last year.
Here's what they do now; come on the line with a recorded message, saying "Press 1 if interested".
Like that's better.

[SlowwHand]

I'll try this instead.

This should be posted with important household info!

Andy Rooney's tips for telemarketers

Three Little Words That Work !!

(1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."
Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off(instead of
hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more
time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone,
you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has
efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2)Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other
end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and
records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real"
sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is
to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times,as
quickly as possible. This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it
kicks your number out of their system.

Since doing this, my phone calls have decreased dramatically.

(3) Another Good Idea:
When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these
"ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their own junk mail
away.

When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from
credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the
return envelope.
Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right?It costs them
more than the regular 37cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50
cents before the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that
case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these
cool little, postage-paid return envelopes. One of Andy Rooney's (60
minutes) ideas.
Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express.
Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day,
then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on
anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them
guessing!

Eventually, the banks and credit card companies will begin getting their
own junk back in the mail.

Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of
all they're paying for it...Twice!

Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail
is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase
postage costs again. You get the idea !

If enough people follow these tips, it will work----
I have been doing this for years, and I get very little junk mail anymore.

[DanS]

Texas instituted a similar program last year.

I have found do not call lists to be pretty effective. Don't know how the Texas program differs with or is similar to this program.

[SlowwHand]

I hope it works. This was only a charge of like 2 bucks, and a supposed fine for companies reported.
Like I say, they just identify their type product/service now without divulging name.
I don't feel like messing with trying to find out, though I should.

[The diplomat]

Why in the world is the Federal government getting involved in this? This is so stupid. Let the local or state governments deal with it, the federal gov has much bigger problems, like this little thing called the war on terror!

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by DanS
Texas instituted a similar program last year.

I have found do not call lists to be pretty effective. Don't know how the Texas program differs with or is similar to this program.

A state progam can only regulate in state to in state calls.

[SlowwHand]

I doubt all these calls are out-of-state origins.

[Spiffor]

Excellent initiative . I wish we had the same in the EU.
Our computer privacy laws don't protect us enough of arseholish telemarketing businesses who dare refuse deleting their entries about us at our request (despite being forced to by the law).

I'm always very polite with telemarketers because they do a painful job where they get yelled at all the time for a miserable pay. But I strongly hate the whole telemarketing business, along with spam-mail. EVerytime, I ask for my entry to be wholly deleted. But I know it won't be, because the telemarketer doesn't have such powers on the database, and I don't feel like wasting her time for this, knowing that means she loses money...

[Harry Seldon]

State ones don't work. The one in Alabama was cannibalized by special interest groups to the point that the only calls restricted were ones made by chimpanzees from Ghana selling Vegas vacations if the call was placed on Thursday.

This federal one looks about the same. You can still receive tons of calls. I also noticed that in order to report the caller you have to get their phone number or business name from the person who calls. I'm sure they'll be eager to give it to you considering the $11,000 fine a violation incurs.

[Atahualpa]

So thats where the whole spam is comming from

[Lefty Scaevola]

The FCC weighed in just a few days ago saying they were going to add the business sectors they regulate calls from like: banks, insurance companies, telephone companies, etc, to the do not calls fules/list of the FTC, removing the biggest block of exemption from the ruels. That just leave politicians, charities, and few other tottaly exempt.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by SlowwHand
I doubt all these calls are out-of-state origins.

While a good many of these calls do originate in Texas, many more of them are made from elsewhere and increasingly are being made from India.

What I wanna know is if this will stop those annoying fax calls we keep getting.

[Harry Seldon]

If you ask the fax sternly enough, I'm sure it will give you its phone number and company name.

[gunkulator]

NOTICE!

Don't use Yahoo for your confirmation email address.